In Another Life
by mythology1746
Summary: Cosette never interacted with Eponine after they had parted ways at the inn. In fact, we're led to believe that Cosette forgot about the other girl entirely. But what if...what if after parting ways, they'd had another chance encounter? What if Cosette didn't want to leave Eponine out on the streets, as she herself surely would have been? Rated Kplus; subject to change.
1. Chance Encounter

**If you're seeing this and know I went MIA for several years, the full story as to why will be on my profile shortly. Just know that this is the first in a series of new stories that I'll be starting, and enjoy.**

**Please be noted that, while a few details have been taken from the books or songs from the theatre version, all character appearances are based on those of the movie.**

**Thanks to the amazing Snakequeen-in-Norway for being my beta!**

Cosette stood by her father's side, a basket hanging from her arm. Her father was in the middle of a conversation with a man they had met on the street; she was humming quietly.

After a minute or two, her father said softly, "Why don't you go look around the shops, try to find something you'd like."

He slipped her a small pouch, and Cosette could feel the money jangling around inside it. The other man, still speaking, missed the exchange. Cosette set the basket down and wrapped the string around her wrist, then stepped away from the two men.

The streets of Paris were congested, but the shops were mostly empty. Cosette window-shopped, peering at the store displays curiously but not yet buying anything; with the starving people all around her, it didn't seem right. As she stood in front of a dress shop and admired a pretty pink day dress, she saw a girl around her own age staring at her intensely from under a shaded ledge. Cosette glanced at her; it was clear she was homeless, or nearly so; the girl's dark hair was matted, hanging limply around her head, and her quilted dress was loose-fitting on her body, despite it being clearly being a small size. Cosette felt a flicker of recognition, but couldn't quite place it.

On instinct, she called, "Hello? I see you there." The other girl stepped out of the shadows, her gaze maintaining its unnerving intensity.

The other girl said, "Hello, Cosette."

Cosette started, jumping slightly. "How do you know my name?"

"You don't remember me? I suppose you would not, now that you are well off and I am…well, you can see for yourself how I turned out."

Cosette looked her over again. "Éponine? Is that you?"

The other girl smiled bitterly. "Yes, it is me."

Cosette gasped, hands flying to cover her mouth in shock. "Good God, Éponine, what has happened to you?"

"My parents lost the inn not long after you left, and we have been living in a small flat nearby here ever since." Éponine paused. "Are you not going to mock me about this?"

"About what?" asked Cosette, genuinely confused.

"Perhaps about the fact that you are now wealthy, and I live on the streets, begging for a piece of bread to fill my empty stomach."

"Why would I mock you about that?"

Éponine stared at her in bewilderment for a moment, but before she could respond, a voice called, "Cosette?"

"I'm here, Papa!"

A moment later, Valjean appeared. "Shall we go, Cosette?" Cosette glanced an at Éponine and said, "Please wait here for just a moment." Then she pulled her father aside. "Papa, I knew her as a child. It's Éponine! She is still forced to live with…them. We should invite her to come with us!" Valjean looked at her skeptically. "Cosette, those are the people that treated you as a servant. I saw the way _she_ in particular treated you."

"It was not her fault, papa, she was merely a child, emulating her parents."

Valjean paused for a moment. He had once promised Fantine that her child would want for nothing, and since this was in his power, and Cosette wanted it so badly, he could not refuse. "You _are_ such a lonely child…and she could be like a sister to you. Are you sure you want this, Cosette?"

"Yes, Papa, I am positive."

The two walked back over to Éponine, and Valjean said, "My dear, would you like to come with us?"

Éponine blanched, staring at the man disbelievingly. "Pardon—pardon me monsieur, are—are you serious?"

"Yes, of course. I would not joke about such things, Éponine."

She hesitated. "I—I have a younger brother. He does not live with us, but I care for him…I make sure he doesn't go hungry."

Valjean paused for a moment. "I cannot take the boy into my care—we live relatively small, and it will take time adjusting to just one new addition—but I can promise you that he will remain well-fed and alive."

Éponine stared at the two for another moment, still clearly disbelieving of the turn of events. "I would never be able to repay either of you."

Valjean smiled. "You wouldn't need to."


	2. Home Abandoned

**Thank you to the three people that followed this story and two that favorited(: It means a lot to me, and I hope you enjoy.**

******And thanks to the amazing Snakequeen-in-Norway for being my beta!**

"Still pretending to be poor, Marius?" Éponine asked, leaning against the alley wall.

Marius rolled his eyes. "Are you still pretending to be rich, Éponine?"

"I am not pretending anything. I'm helping people."

Marius laughed. "I am helping people as well, just in a different way."

Éponine scoffed and half turned away. "Where is my brother?"

Marius pointed toward the open door of the ABC Café and disappeared through it. Éponine ran a hand through her hair before following him in.

She felt awfully out of place once she was inside, in her expensive dress and holding a large basket filled with food. She immediately saw Gavroche standing beside the tall boy with curly hair, Enjolras. He didn't see her, his eyes focused intently on a spot somewhere to his left.

Enjolras announced, "Everybody, listen up!"

Gavroche looked down and exclaimed loudly, "General Lamarque is dead!"

Chatter broke out around them, and Éponine saw Marius look around, startled.

Enjolras said, "The people will be outraged. They will join us at the barricades. Tomorrow, we rally against the king and we fight!"

The people inside the Café broke into a loud cheer, clapping and screaming in approval. Éponine jumped, startled at the abrupt change in mood. Her brother wanted to _join_ these people? She could not fathom his desire to fight; but then, she realized, perhaps in a different world—a world in which Cosette and her father had not saved her from all this—she might be just as bloodthirsty.

A few minutes passed, and the cheering faded into disjointed conversations; Éponine wove through the tables to stand by her brother. A few people noticed her and stared with skeptical looks on their faces, but she did her best to ignore them.

"Gavroche, this is mad," she said quietly. "You can't expect to fight the army with a bunch of inexperienced boys not much older than you!" Her brother turned to glare at her. "Most of them are _your_ age Éponine. And we won't be alone."

"Oh yes, you are all relying on the people to come and die alongside you."

"They will and we aren't going to die! You will see."

Éponine huffed, annoyed, and set the old wicker basket down in front of him.

She turned, ready to leave, when he said, "Why do you even bother?"

"What do you mean, Gavroche?"

He scowled. "Why do you bother bringing me food like you care about what happens to me?"

Éponine blanched. "You think I do not care about you?"

"Of course you do not! You left me here on the streets to try and fend for myself with nothing while you went to play duchess!"

"I did not want to leave you alone, Gavroche, but Monsieur Fabre could not take another person in, and I have done my best to care for you through it all."

Gavroche was about to retort when the doors flew open to reveal Cosette. She seemed to have startled everyone, even herself, when she entered. For a moment, she was frozen in place, eyes searching the room.

When she saw her friend, she said, "Éponine!" The other girl blinked. "We must go now. Father needs us home immediately."

Éponine reach down and hugged her brother, then rushed to the blonde's side; the two girls left the Café.

Standing at the side, unnoticed by both of them, was Marius. He had never before seen the other girl, despite having heard about her from Éponine in passing conversations. She was very beautiful, with what must have been the face of an angel. She was gone as quickly as she had arrived, but Marius felt as though his whole world had changed in that instant.

Outside the Café, Éponine and Cosette were following the streets to where Cosette had left her father minutes before to look for the other girl. When they found him, he was in the middle of a squabble with a poor man. Upon reaching his side, the man turned on the two girls, his eyes wild and crazed. "Éponine?" He croaked. She recoiled, disgusted at the grimy man as he reached for her. A woman appeared from behind the man, and Éponine finally recognized the two, her eyes going wide.

"No!" She exclaimed, taking a step back. Valjean understood what was going on at once, and though he had recognized the ex-innkeepers from before, he hadn't had the two girls with him. Quickly, he said, "Come girls, it's time to go home." He put a hand on each of their shoulders and guided them away.

Éponine heard her father call after them, "You bastard! I'll get you for this, mark m'words, I'll get you!"

They rushed home, and upon arriving, Valjean said, "Girls, we need to go. I've made the arrangements, and we can be in Britain the day after tomorrow. I have the train tickets, we are due to leave tomorrow morning."

The two girls headed to the room they shared, both lost in their own thoughts. Cosette had known that the move was coming, since they had moved all the time when she was younger and had been living in the same home for over three and a half years. Éponine, however, did not want to leave—at least not now, not when her younger brother was planning on joining an underground army and getting himself killed. She knew why they had to, though. Her father had raved on for months and months about how mad he was that he had allowed Cosette (whose name he never did get correct) to be bought by a convicted felon that was on the run. Éponine had known that this man was the supposedly dangerous Jean Valjean from the start—though she suspected that Cosette was ignorant—but he was so kind she often forgot. Either way, she understood why they needed to leave Paris, but she had to find a way to keep her brother among the living.

The two girls packed their most important belongings, resolving to leave a lot of superficial things there—they would buy more once they reached Britain, especially since the styles were different.

Once all of what Éponine planned on bringing was packed, she said to Cosette, "Would your father mind if I wrote my brother a letter and ran out to deliver it?"

Cosette paused, then said, "If you are quick about it, I am sure he will understand."

Éponine nodded and sat down on her bed, grabbing a quill and popping open a bottle of ink. She wrote out the first letter to her brother, careful not to reveal too much of where they were going or how they would be getting there. Then she wrote out a rather lengthier one to Marius, telling him much more and begging him to take care of Gavroche. She moved to sign her name before pausing, knowing it would be her very last chance to tell him how she truly felt. After tonight, it was likely she would never see him again. She stared at the paper for a long time before penning the confession that she loved him, and that she had to tell him now, because if she did not, she would probably end up regretting it for the rest of her life. She folded up the letters and sealed them before writing the appropriate names. Once they had dried, she stripped off her overcoat, replacing it with a cloak over her dress. Slipping the letters and a small change purse filled with coins into the pocket of her skirt, she ducked out of the room. Valjean was in his study, and she quickly said, "I will be back in a few moments, I promise." Then left before anyone could protest her leaving the house.

It wasn't quite dark yet, and she found her way back to the ABC Café easily. For the most part, everyone was still there from earlier, and someone had decided to pull out a keg of beer; the placed seemed much more crowded from the rowdy people.

She found Marius, sober, near the window, and handed him both letters along with the money. "Please, make sure Gavroche gets the coins with this letter…the second is for you. I really must be going now." She tried to smile at him, sure it came out as more of a grimace, before slipping back out of the café.

She was crying as she made her way back to what would soon become her old home. Éponine truly didn't want to leave the city she'd lived in for her whole life, even though she had been been very unhappy for a large part of her teenage years. By the time she'd arrive back in the room she shared with Cosette, her eyes were red and puffy, but she had run out of tears.

Cosette was at the seat by the window, staring outside absently. Éponine discarded her cloak and tapped the blonde on the shoulder.

Cosette jumped, then said, "Did you get you letter—what is wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," lied the dark-haired girl, voice cracking.

Cosette frowned. "Tell me what has happened, Éponine."

"I—I have spoken of Marius to you, Cosette. I am going to have to leave him, and the chances are that I shall never see him again. It is just very difficult." Cosette frowned, "I am so sorry, Éponine."

"It is okay, and I do understand why we must leave."

Cosette nodded, and Éponine let the subject drop by going to finish packing up her bag. The latter knew that her friend—practically her sister—did not truly understand why they were leaving, and was lucky. Not only to be ignorantly blissful, but also that the only people that Cosette cared about were moving with her to Britain.

Almost as soon as Cosette and Éponine were done gathering their belongings, Valjean appeared at their open door. "Girls," he said, "I have found us a place that we might stay for the night, closer to the party we will be traveling with. Come, grab your things."

Éponine was caught slightly off guard, but when she glanced over at Cosette, the other girl seemed as though she were used to doing things like this. They grabbed their bags and followed Valjean out of the room; he had very little with him, only two bags—one large and one small—that he carried as though they weighed nothing. The driver held the door open for the girls, and Valjean climbed in once they were seated; once the door was closed, they were off. Éponine could hear the even _clip-clop_ of the horse's hooves in front of them, and the steady squeak of the right rear wheel. They rode for a quarter of an hour before stopping. Éponine pulled the curtain off the window just enough so she could see the front of a hotel that she knew to be near the eastern border of the city. The door swung open again, and the driver escorted the two girls out of the cab and into the lobby.

After all their things had been brought inside, Valjean checked them into a room on the fourth floor. Cosette took to it immediately, smiling and twirling in their private offshoot. She threw open the doors to the balcony and stepped outside, smiling into the cool night.

Éponine, on the other hand, wasn't at all interested in the hotel room, for she knew what was happening across the city and wanted almost nothing more than to be there, to keep her brother and Marius safe. Instead, she was waiting in a cushy hotel room for morning to come, when she would leave the only place she'd ever known as home for a new city filled with people that didn't even speak her language. Cosette seemed absolutely content waiting, but then, the only people she'd had any real interaction with were Éponine and her father.

Éponine sat on one of the beds, watching the other girl as she relaxed on the little balcony. It was as though the blonde lived in a different world, a different life, the way Cosette was always so carefree and full of compassion. Éponine had been berated and broken as she was used by her parents, by the inn's customers, and, later, by rich men as she begged for money on the street. She could not be like Cosette, so ready to trust and to love anyone. So able to forgive anyone for their wrongs. Whenever she could, Éponine tried and tried to repay the other girl, to be worthy of the forgiveness that was so readily given for the way she had acted when they were children. At least living on the streets, she felt like she was getting what she deserved. Living the rich life with Cosette and her father made Éponine feel dirty and criminal. Where Cosette always looked like an angel straight from heaven, Éponine felt as though she were a spirit from Hell, merely impersonating someone worthy.

After a few minutes, Cosette came inside and changed into her night dress. "It is getting late, and we have to get up early in the morning. I'm going to go to bed."

"Sounds like a good idea," said Éponine, following the other girl's example.


	3. Desparation

**You can yell at me all you want. I'm sorry, but updating fast is NOT my forte...enjoy anyways ^.^**

Marius paced impatiently as Enjolras went over their plan for what had to be the twentieth time. He was badly shaken by the events of the last few hours and wished his friend would shut and and let him have some quiet time to think. Éponine's letter was deeply unsettling—she loved him? And now she would be leaving—with Cosette, to add insult to injury—for England at daybreak. England! That could be a world away, especially now that he was going to engage in what could be a deadly battle against the police of Paris tomorrow. They'd never see each other again, he felt sure. It was also clear that Gavroche was not taking his sister's leaving well. After reading his own letter, the boy had folded it up calmly, tucked it away, and dropped the coin purse to the floor. Then he went and sat beside Enjolras, not saying a word but listening in rapt attention to the older boy.

As Enjolras started to repeat their plan from the top _yet again_, Marius snapped, "I'm sure we all understand it quite clearly. Please stop repeating yourself and let some of us have some peace and quiet!"

All eyes turned to him, and he flushed, embarrassed.

"Is this a rich boy's game to you?" Enjolras asked after a moment, his voice cold as steel. "Do you come here simply so you may watch us all make fools of ourselves tomorrow and die?"

"No of course not," Marius replied stiffly.

"This is likely to end up as a fight between life and death, Marius. It would do us all good to be able to coordinate and anticipate the enemy's actions. Now…"

Enjolras continued his reiteration of their plans for the next day, and Marius leaned back on his chair. It took no time at all for his mind to drown out his curly-haired friend's words and to wander back to wherever Éponine was. They had lived together—well, next to one another—for so many years before she had been adopted by the rich philanthropist, and he had still seen her often after that because she brought food (and occasionally money) to Gavroche every other day. He could never have imagined that she loved him—or even liked him in any way other than the affection one would feel toward a sibling.

And Cosette. He hadn't really thought about her much, but he could still clearly remember her—the pretty flush of embarrassment, the soft voice, the golden hair curled and pinned up neatly in a hat. He wanted to follow them both to England—for no other possible reason than to sort out his thoughts and feelings—but Enjolras was depending on his help. Not only that, but Éponine had trusted him to watch over her brother. She had begged him in her letter to do what he could to keep him away from the brawl that was sure to go down the following day. He would not let the boy die. He could not possibly. If he owed Éponine anything—anything at all—he owed her her brother's life.

Marius zoned out for a while until Enjolras stopped talking—actually, the boy was so drunk he simply keeled over, mid word, and passed out. Marius watched as Gavroche tried to shake the other boy awake, then purse his lips and jump down from the table where he had been perched for the last couple of hours. Marius followed the young boy.

"Gavroche," he said quietly, "you cannot fight tomorrow." The boy glared up at him. "Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?"

"Your sister—"

"My sister is leaving for Britain tomorrow. She does not give a damn about what happens to me."

"Of course she does!"

"She wouldn't have left me if she gave a bloody—"

Marius silenced him with a hostile look. "She cares about you, Gavroche. If it was not necessary, she would have stayed in France. You have to know that."

Gavroche glared at Marius, but didn't say anything more before storming away. Marius bit his lip; the boy still desperately wanted to fight, and he couldn't follow the girls out of Paris with Gavroche planning to run off and die before the next moonrise; Éponine had entrusted him with keeping her brother safe. If he left to follow her, she would probably shoot him on the spot for failing to protect the boy.

Marius looked over at Enjolras, who was snoring into the table, and thought about what the other boy would say if Marius took away two sets of hands from the inevitable battle. They didn't have the best of friendships, or the longest, but they were at least fond of one another—and Marius surely didn't want any of the other boys here to _die_! But he also didn't want to follow him to the guillotine, or to slaughter on the battlefield. It was crazy, he knew, If he hadn't seen Cosette, if Éponine wouldn't have made her confession in her letter, he was sure he wouldn't be in the situation—he wouldn't want to be following anyone out of the country, and he'd probably be glad to go off and shoot police officers before following his friends to untimely deaths. Now, he had no desire to go die with his friends and classmates. He wanted to live, and live for—for one of them, though which one he wasn't quite sure of yet.

He could drag Gavroche with him, he supposed, but he hardly had enough money to get himself out of Paris, let alone manage to stumble with himself and another person all the way to England. And what would they do once they got there? No, bringing Gavroche was out of the questions. Still, how would the boy manage to survive? His parents didn't care to make sure he stayed among the living—hell, they hadn't even given a damn when he left them to become a street urchin—and it wasn't as though Marius had enough trust in anyone to keep the boy alive. He could report him to the police, but that would succeed only in getting Gavroche sent to prison, and possibly a large amount of questioning of himself on why he even knew that there would be a huge fight in the street...

Finally, Marius made his decision. He stole from the café, slipping through the streets of the city, to the richer side of town. He hesitated as he waited on the steps of his grandfather's home. The old man was not supportive of anything that Marius did, ever, and a few months ago, Marius had had it and walked out. It was altogether possible that the older man would turn him down in his request, but it was his only chance. Marius steeled his nerve and knocked loudly on the door. There was a moment of silence, then it was thrown open by an annoyed-looking maid. She saw Marius and immediately schooled her expression into a blank look.

"Monsieur Marius! This is rather a surprise. What can I help you with?"

"I'd like to speak with my grandfather, if I may."

The maid nodded quickly and opened the door wider. "He is still awake in his study; I will go and fetch him. Please, come in."

He stepped inside and said, "Let him know it is urgent, if you do not mind."

She gave another nod of ascent before hurrying away, leaving Marius to stand alone in the foyer. He closed the door behind him and wandered a bit further into the home that he had grown up in. A few minutes later, the maid reappeared, trailed by his grandfather, Monsieur Gillenormand. The old man motioned for the woman to leave, and she disappeared not a moment later; he turned to look at his grandson.

After a minute of silence, he finally said, "Well, what is it that you want?"

Marius steeled his nerves and said, "I'd like your permission to leave France. I have things to do in Britain, and I am unable to do them without assistance."

The old man chuckled humorlessly. "So you run out on your family—your own flesh and blood—and come crawling back because you are in need of a bit of money? Tell me one reason why I should not turn my back and throw you out of my house."

Marius didn't even pause before answering, "Because either I head off to England tonight, or I go off to fight alongside my mates at General Lamarque's funeral procession tomorrow, and you will never see me again anyways, as I will likely die in battle."


End file.
